Apparatus for the collection and disposal of snow



APPARATUS FOR THE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF SNOW Filed Oct. l0, 1955 H. SCHMITZ March 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Shes?I l H. SCHMITZ March 5, 1957 APPARATUS FOR THE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF' SNOW Filed OCT.. l0. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. )WJ

AUnited States fatemi O n APPARATUS FOR THE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF SNOW Harry Schmitz, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to Anna Mae Mink, Bellerose, N. Y.

Application October 10, 1955, Serial No. 539,311

Claims. (Cl. 3712) This invention relates to mobile apparatus for collecting snow and thereupon disposing of the same by melting; the apparatus being adapted to be propelled over sidewalk, driveway, road or street surfaces, whereby to remove snow from such surfaces, and then to dispose of the collected snow by melting the same to water; the water thus accumulated being subject to discharge from the apparatus.

The invention has for an object to provide a simple, compact and effective apparatus for the removal of snow from surfaces over which the apparatus is moved, said apparatus having means to break up entering lumps or relatively concrete masses of snow into a discrete mass of relatively small particle size, and then delivering such 1 discrete snow mass into a moving stream of hot air for suspension therein subiect to melting dissolution thereby; the water resulting from the thus melted snow being separated from the hot air stream for delivery to a water collecting basin or sump within the interior of the apparatus, whence it can be discharged.

The invention has for a further object to provide. in an apparatus of the character stated, means to circulate a continuously moving stream of hot air, including driven blower means for moving the hot air through its path of circulation; to provide means for heating the air; and to provide driven blower means for delivering a produced discrete mass of collected snow into the circulated hot air stream.

The above and other objects will be understood from a reading of the following description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention in connection with the accompanying drawings thereof, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of mobile snowremoving and disposing apparatus according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal sectional View, showing the means for disintegrating collected snow, and then delivering the same into the circulated stream of hot air; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken on line 3 3 in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is another horizontal sectional view, taken on line 4 4 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse vertical sectional view, taken on line 5 5 in Fig. 1.

The snow removing and disposing apparatus according to this invention, as shown for the purpose of illustration, is made of relatively small size suitable for hand propulsion, and thus well adapted for collecting snow from sidewalks and other footways, and from garage driveways. It will be understood, however, that` the principles of this invention may be embodied in large sizepower propelled apparatus suitable for road and street snow removal service.

Referring to the drawings, in which like characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts, the reference character 10 indicates the hollow body of the apparatus upon which is mounted a hollow housing section 11 of suitable dimensions. The open top of the housing section is closed by a hollow top or cover sec- 2,783,554 la@ Patented Mar. 5, 1957 tion 12, which is preferably removable' from the housing section. Said housing section 11 is preferably provided, e. g. at its rear end, with a suitable closure door or doors 13, that can be opened to give access to the interior thereof, and to the functional structures contained therein. Internal linings of suitable heat insulating material (not shown) may be applied to the walls of the housing section 11 and the top or cover section 12, whereby to prevent wasteful radiation of heat from the interiors thereof, when the apparatus is in use. The body 10 is `supported by wheels 14, and, when hand propelled, is provided, in extension from its rear end, with handle bar means 15 for manual propulsion of the apparatus.

Connected with the front end of the body 10, at the bottom thereof, is a shovel plate 16. In its operative position, said shovel plate inclines forwardly and downwardly,

so that its free end can engage and move over a surface from which snow is to be collected. At the front of the apparatus, above the shovel plate 16, is located means for circulating a stream of hot air through the apparatus, and means for disintegrating collected snow and introducing the resultant discrete mass thereof into the circulated hot air stream. Illustrative means for such purposes comprise a blower casing 17, that is suitably supported in connection with the front end of the body 10 for projection therefrom. Rotatable within the blower casing 17 is an impeller that is divided by a partition plate 18, so as to dene, within the blower casing, an upper air blower chamber 19 and a lower snow blower chamber 20. Said partition plate 1S is provided, in connection with its upper side, with impeller blades 21 operative to induce air impulsion, and, in connection with its underside, with impeller blades 22 operative to induce discrete snow impulsion. Extending axially upward from the blower casing 17 is a hot air admission duct 23 that leads into the upper blower' chamber 19. Provided in the bottom side of the blower casing 17 is an axially disposed'snow admission opening or port 24 that leads into the lower blower chamber 20. The blower casing 17 is provided, for tangential extension from its peripheral side wall, with a discharge passage means or outlet 25, that is common to both the upper air blower chamber 19 and the lower snow blower chamber 20.

Axially aligned with the blower casing 17, to extend downwardly therefrom between the same and the shovel plate 16, so that its bottom end intersects the plane of the latter, is a rotatable snow grinder or disintegrator means. An illustrative form of the snow grinder or disintegrator means comprises a disintegrator drum 26 which is closed at its lower end by a bottomrwall 27, but is open at its upper end so as to communicate with the snow admission opening or port 24 which leads into the lower blower chamber 2u. The sides of the disintegrator drum are formed by a plurality of circumferentially spaced chopper blades 2S; the leading vertical edges 29 of successive blades being respectively outwardly offset radially relative to trailing vertical edges 30 of preceding blades, whereby the blades, when the disintegrator drum is rotated, function to break up concrete masses or lumps of snow which are urged againstV the exterior of the disintegrator drum, while at the same time causing the resultant discrete snow mass to enter into the interior of said drum.

In the cooperative arrangement of blower means and disintegrator drum, the latter and the impeller of the former are mounted on a ,common drive shaft 31, which' is adapted to be driven -by a suitable prime mover 32, such e. g. as an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, or other suitable powery source.

The interior of the housing section 11 is suitably sub divided to provide, in its'rearward end portion, an airf heating chamber 33, in which is located a heat generating means 34, such e. g. asa solid or liquid fuel burner, an electrical heater device or otherVV suitable, heater means. The air heating chamber 33, communicates with the forwardly extending lower interior portion of the housing section 11, which providesa hot air deliverypassage35. Communicating with the forward end ofthe air passage 35, for external extensionfrom thehousing.section11, is a hot airdelivery duct 36, the outer end of which is con nected to and in communication with the hot air admission duct 23 that leads into the upper air blower chamber 19 of the blower casing 17.

Connected with the discharge passage means or outlet of the blower casing17 is a conduit 37 which extends upwardly for connection with the forwardA end of the hollow top orv cover section 12 of the housing section 11. Said conduit 37 is preferably provided with a flexible coupling section 38 by which it is, joined to said top or cover section 12, whereby to permit separating detachment of the latter from the housing sectionll when desired.

The interior ofthe hollow top or cover section 12 is provided with meansrto forlntherein a serpentineiair iiow passage, i, e. a ow passage of a length greatly in excess of the length of said top or cover section. One convenient arrangement to attain such end, as shown, is the provision of a tubular conduit 39, which is so shaped and disposed to extend back and` forth through the interior of the top or cover section, and in such manner as to provide a descending gradient from its intake end to its discharge end. The intake end 40 of the conduit 39 is connected in communication with the conduit 37--38 which leads from the blower casing 17, while the outlet end 41 of Vsaid conduit 39 opens out of the top or coversection 12 into the upper interiorof the housing4 section 11, whchgisarranged to provide areturn air passage 42 leading back to the air heating chamber 33.

Underlying theireturn air passage 42'is a water catch basin43 from whichdescend one or more Yoverllow pipes 44 which extendintothe interior of the body 10, that is designed to serve as a water collection basin orsnmp 45.

Means, such e. g. as a discharge valve or faucet 46, is provided for discharging collected water .from said collection basin or sump 4S. The bottomY of fthe catch basin 43 is preferably formed to provide aplurality of spaced apart hollow ribs 47, which depend therefrom into4 the i hot air delivery passage l35. Said hollow ribs 47, being subject to contact by the hot air flowing through said air delivery passage 35, provide a substantially increased area of heat conductive means for transfer .of `heat to the water in the cat chY basin 43,k thereby maintaining said water atan elevated temperature. Although the above described specific form of catch .basin 43is believed to be of advantage as contributing to total melting ofsnow which may reach the return air passage 42, its use may be omitted if desired, andV water derived from melted snow may be directly discharged from the discharge end 41 of the-,conduit 39 -to the water collection basin .orsump 45.

In order to avoid any carryover of nnmelted snow particles into the air heating. chamber 33, a suitable perforate batlieor mesh screen 48 can be disposed between the discharge end of the return air passage 4Z and the air heating chamber 33.

It will be understood thatthe blower casing 17,'the hot airA admission duct 23, the external conduit 37, and Aeven the internal conduit 39 of the apparatus maybe provided with heatinsulating coverage (not shown) but wellwithin the skill of the art to furnish.

To condition the apparatus for use, the heat generator means 34 is put in operation, and the blower means is also caused to function. The hot air produced in the hot air chamber 33 is drawn outwardly through the hot lair passage 35, delivery ducts 36 and -23vinto the air blower chamber 19 by the driven impeller blades 21 revolving in the latter, andthereuponexpelled to forcea continuously flowing stream of hot air .throughr-the-conduits 37,

Y38 and 39, and return air passage 42 back to the hot air chamber 33. The apparatus being thus operative, the same is propelled over a surface from which snow is to be removed and disposed of. As the apparatus is moved forward through the snow, snow in advance thereof is picked up by the shovel plate 16, and caused to move upward thereover into contact with the rapidly rotated disintegrator drum 26. The whirling blades 28 of said drum cut through any concrete masses or lumps of snow so as to break up the same into relatively small particle size, while at the same time compelling the thus disintegrated snow to enter between said blades into the interior of the drum. The impeller blades 21, which are rapidly revolved within the lower snow blower chamber 20 of the blower means, induce suction within the interior of the disintegrator drum 26, which operates to draw into said snow blower chamber 20 the discrete snow from the latter, and thereupon to expell the same from said blower chamber into the hot air stream discharged from the air blower chamber into and for onward movement through the conduits 37, 38 and 39 and the return air passage 42, whereby said discrete snow is suspended in the circulating hot air stream so as to advance therewith. While advancing with the hot air stream, the snow suspended therein, being subject to the heat thereof, melts and is precipitated as water within the serpentine conduit 39. Due to the descending gradient of said conduit 39, the water precipitated therein ilows by gravity to the discharge end 41thereof, and into the catch basin 43, overflowing from the latter through the overilow pipes 44 for collection in the collecting basin or sump 4S. Relieved of the accompanying water, the hot air stream ows onward out of the return air passage 42 back to the heat generating chamber 33, to be reheated and recirculated. In this manner snow is continuously removed and melted to water, the accumulation of thelatter in the collection basin or sump 45 'being subject to convenient discharge as to time and place.

It is now pointed out that although the compound blower means above described may be deemed preferable from the standpoint ofsimplicity and compactness, modications thereof are believed to be within the scope of this invention as ,hereinafter claimed. For example, a separate .or individual blower may be provided for cooperation with the snow disintegrator drum, and a separarate or individual blower may be provided for circulating the hot air stream, both said blowers discharging their output to the conduits 37, 38 and 39 for circulation therethrough.` Likewise, the disintegrator drum is subject to modification or variation in specific structure, so long as its function of breaking up concrete snow masses or lumps into discrete lcondition is performed. It is also pointed out that other changes and modification of the above described snow removal and disposing apparatus may be made with the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described by invention, l claim:

l. Snow removal and disposal apparatus comprising a mobile hollow body interiorly subdivided to provide a hot air heating chamber, hot air passage means outgoing from said heating chamber, ingoing hot air passage means of serpentine formation returning to said heating chamber, said latter passage means being pitched at a descending gradientand collecting means to receive melted snow water from said ingoing hot air passage means; anexternal Vsnow shovel plate extending from the forward end of the mobile body, a snow disintegrator means to receive snow from the shovel plate, and blower means operative 'to Vreeeivephot air from said outgoing hot air passage means and to deliver the same to the ingoing hot air passage means to effect a circulating stream of hot air through the body interior and to also receive discrete snow from the disintegrator means for discharge into the ingoing portion of the circulated hot` air stream.

2. Snow removal and disposal apparatus comprising a mobile body the interior of which provides a collecting sump for reception of melted snow water; a hollow housing mounted on said body and interiorly subdivided to provide a hot air heating chamber, an outgoing hot air passage leading from said heating chamber, and an ingoing hot air passage returning to said heating chamber; heat generator means within said heating chamber; means to discharge melted snow water from said ingoing hot air passage to said collecting sump; and an external snow shovel plate extending from the forward end of the mobile body, a driven snow disintegrator drum to receive snow from the shovel plate, and driven blower means operative to receive hot air from said outgoing hot air passage and to deliver the same to the ingoing hot air passage to effect a circulating stream of hot air through the housing interior and -to also receive discrete snow from the disintegrator drum for discharge into the ingoing portion of the circulated hot air stream, said disintegrator drum being rotatable about a vertical axis and being disposed to intersect the plane of said snow shovel plate, and comprising a hollow body closed at its bottom end and open at its top end to provide snow discharge passage therefrom, the sides of said drum being formed to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced, outwardly inclined chopper blades.

3. Snow removal and disposal apparatus comprising a mobile body the interior of which provides a collecting sump for reception of melted snow water; a hollow housing mounted on said body and interiorly subdivided to provide a hot air heating chamber, an outgoing hot air passage leading from said heating chamber, and an ingoing hot air passage returning to said heating chamber, said latter passage comprising a section of serpentine formation pitched at a descending gradient from its intake to its outlet end and a discharge section leading back to the heating chamber, with which discharge section the means to discharge melted snow from said ingoing hot air V,passage to said collecting sump; an external snow shovel plate extending from the forward end of the mobile body, a driven snow disintegrator drum to receive snow from the shovel plate, and driven blower means operative to receive hot air from the outgoing hot air passage and deliver `the same to the ingoing hot air passage to elect a circulating stream of hot air through the housing interior and to also receive discrete snow from the disintegrator drum for discharge into the ingoing portion of the circulated hot air stream.

4. Snow removal and disposal apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the means 4to discharge melted snow water from `the ingoing hot air passage to the collecting sump comprises a catch basin underlying the discharge section of said ingoing hot air passage, and water overflow drain means connecting said catch basin in communication with said collecting sump.

5. Snow removal and disposal apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the disintegrator drum is rotatable about a verticalaxis and is disposed torintersect the plane of the snow shovel plate, and comprises a hollow body closed at its bottom end and open at its top end to provide snow discharge passage therefrom, the sides of said drum being formed to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced, outwardly inclined chopper blades.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,602,476 Ballard Oct. l2, 1926 1,742,968 Polak Ian. 7, 1930 2,588,039 Pepi Mar. 4, 1952 2,602,443 Leary July 8, 1952 

